Memorial Weekend Round Up

This past weekend, we took the operation to Kil Kare Speedway in Xenia, Oh to do a little big bucks bracket racing.  The Box class was paying $5000 to win both Saturday and Sunday.

Prior to the weekend we decided to take both the Roadster and the Dragster.  Originally we thought that dad might drive the roadster but on arrival Saturday morning we decided that I would double up in both cars.

In all honesty, doubling up this weekend probably wasn't the best idea.  First off, this was to be the first weekend out on the roadster all year.  Anyone that has raced knows that the first time out is always a tough one.  Although things should run right, you just never knew.  Add to the fact that over the winter we took off the gas carb and put on an alky carb.

The second reason it was probably a bad idea to double up this weekend was the fact that it was HOT.  By far the hottest weekend of the year here in Southern Ohio.  Mid to High 90's each day.

Saturday turned out to be a day that I would like to forget.  Both cars ran well in time trials.  The dragster was locked on and the roadster ran a tenth faster than last season.  So through time trials things were looking ok.

Round 1 - I take the roadster up first and completely miss the tree.  I have a .064 light and have no chance.  I get up there with the dragster and things dont go much better.  I slightly miss the tree and have nothing at the finish line.  We decided to only buy back in the dragster.

Round 2 - I go .014 on the tree to my opponents .050.  My opponent is running a 6.50 Camaro.  I dump hard at the strip and run a 5.201 on my 5.16 dial taking .023 strip for a relatively easy W.

Round 3 - I draw Roy St. Denis in his black Thunderbird.  He is dialed a 6.29.  I dial a 5.17.  We leave pretty even, my .028 to his .031.  I get to the finish line and grab a little brake.  I run a 5.180 on my 5.17.  Roy runs a 6.290 on his 6.29.  I am behind by .007!!!  Impressive job driving on my part.  Get behind by .007, WTG Jason!!  Run completion shows that I should have went a 5.171 which would have given me the W by .002.

If this wasn't enough fun for Saturday, KK decided to throw a gamblers race.  We decided that you can't win it if you aren't in it so we jumped in.  Lets just say I probably should have stayed back at the trailer.  In the first round I go -.014 Red to end my night.

Go Time!!

SUNDAY
After doing some carb work on the roadster Sunday morning, the Rocket decides it does not want to run.  It stumbles and blubbers during the first time run.  After making some changes we go up for our second hit in the roadster and it stumbles still and runs a 6.34!!  Yup almost 3 tenths slower than the day before.  If you haven't figured out yet, we are regular Austin Coils!!!  Before the first round we decide to put everything back to the way it was the day before.  As for the dragster, things go normal ad no major issues.

Round 1 - Roadster - We draw Dave Caplinger who is dialed 6.51.  We decide to dial a 6.30.  We were hoping the stumble was fixed considering we changed everything back to the way it was on Saturday.  If this were the case, the car should run a Mid 6.0, so I would be holding a ton!  If it did stumble we would be close on dial.  Lets just say the car stumbles and runs a 6.37 on the 6.30 and Dave gets the Easy W.  Lets just say that we decide not to buy back the roadster and load it up for the weekend.

Dragster - We dial a 5.15 to my opponents 4.89 dragster.  I go .0143 on the tree to his .0216.  I tap the brakes at the finish line to run a 5.166 and take .0073 stripe for the W.

Round 2 - I dial a 5.16 to my opponents 4.91.  I have a stellar .039 light, but luckily he has a .057.  As a close in on the strip I see that he isnt really catching me, but once we get to the mph cone he is all of a sudden all over me.  I figure he hit the nitrous button and sprayed me, so I dump it and feed him the stripe by .009 but he breaks out by .007.  I run a 5.180 for the W.

Round 3 - Dial up to a 5.17 to run another faster dragster dialed 5.00.  As I start to let go of the button I see my opponents red light flash.  He rolled through the lights.  It distracted me a bit and I let go .0428, run it out the back door and it slows to a 5.187 for the W.

Round 4 - (15 Cars) - Dial a 5.18 to Josh Morgans 4.81.  I have another bad light in a .033 to my opponents .006.  I run it out the back and and break out running a 5.175.  Josh went dead on with an 8 for a .014 package.

Mixed bag of results for the weekend, but a decent effort on Sunday to close it out.  Next weekend we are heading back to Kil Kare for their Super Saturday $2000 to win Super Pro race.  Hopefully we can bring home the cash!!

Go Hard or Go Home

Back at it Again

With the start of a new racing season, I have decided to jump back into the blog game.  I started out well last year, but lost some interest as time went on and I got busy with some other projects.

Hopefully this time around I will hang in there and do a better job.  To help keep things going as well as change things up a bit, I plan on doing some things different this time around.

I still plan on recapping my racing exploits, as I feel that is essentially the heart of what I originally intended to do with this blog.  I am also planning on updating with some of my thoughts on different subjects in the world of Drag Racing.

Once a week I am planning on updating my thoughts on the past weekends NHRA events.  I will also focus on some of the major sportsman racing events around the country.  As much as I love NHRA professional drag racing, Sportsman racing is my true love and passion.  Without the sportsman ranks nothing else would be possible.

Hopefully you all will enjoy the new and improved blog.

Jason

WWCD

The band was back together this weekend as my Mom and Dad where back from vacation.  So things were back to the norm.

Friday night we headed to Kanawha Valley to do a little testing.  The week before, Kanawha Valley had to change the timing system and thus changed the lights in the tree.  So I struggled.  With those results, we made the decision during the week to head to the track on Friday so I could work on my reaction times.

The results were mixed for sure.  My reaction times for the night were, .022, .023, .036, .001, .046, and .023.  Needless to say those were less than stellar as far as consistency goes.  So after mixed results on Friday we headed home, only to hook back up and head back to KV Saturday for a weekly points race.

As Saturday rolls around, lets just say it was hot.  During the first 2 time trials my reaction times were decent, .026 and .021.  At least they were close enough to each other that I could adjust the delay box accordingly.  However during the 3rd time run I had a blistering .049 reaction time.  So after feeling good, my confidence took a big hit heading into eliminations.

Once eliminations rolled around lets just say that things got better.  In the first round I have a .009 reaction for the win.  This gave me the confidence need to win the next few rounds.

As the night continues, I find my self in the semi finals.  The semi final round was an important one for me because if I won the round I would overtake Jeff Higgins for the points lead.  In the semis I dial a 5.30 to my opponents 6.37.  I leave with a .036 light to his .051.  So even though I would not call that a great light, I had a 15 thou advantage, which I will take any day.  I catch him and pedal to run a 5.324 on my 5.30 dial to his 6.382 on his 6.37 dial.  I win.  I crossed first by .0029.  Basically I did a poor job of pedaling and almost gave back up the strip.  Off to the finals!!!!

In the finals I keep my 5.30 dial.  My opponent is dialed a 6.61.  I leave with a .0149 reaction to his .0299.  So once again I have a 15 thou advantage!! (This makes the whole winning thing a lot easier.)  We get down the track and I pedal once again.  This time I run a 5.331 on my 5.30 dial as he runs a 6.644 on his 6.61 dial.  I cross first by .018 to take the WIN!!!!  Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

This win was my 3rd win of the season is my 4th final.  Also by winning I took the Pro points lead at Kanawha Valley by 10 points (2 rounds).  There are 3 points races remaining.  I am sitting in good position, however I would like I little more breathing room.

Next week we head back to Kanawha Valley as there are 2 points raced scheduled.  So this is a big weekend in deciding my chances of winning the Track Championship.

Thanks for reading.  Remember that you can Follow me on Twitter: @ClaytorRacing

Until next time: Hit it Hard, Hit it Fast!!

How Quickly it Goes Away

Back to Points Racing!!! The weather co-operated this weekend and Kanawha Valley was open and running for some points racing.  After being rained out for a few weeks down there, the track decided to have two points races on Saturday.

Heading into the weekend I was sitting 6th in points, 25 points back.  At KV 10 points are given for showing up, 5 points per round win, 5 point bonus for winning the race, and a 2 point bonus for finishing 2nd.  So basically I was 5 rounds out of first.  Jeff Higgins was leading the points heading into the weekend.  He has been leading the points for most of the season.

As the first race got under way I was very confident.  I was driving well and the car was great.  The first round of the race rolls around and I end up running "Radar" Ray Kinder.  Radar has nice 55 Chevy that runs 5.60's.  I dial a 5.27 to Radars 6.64.  I get the win as I take a starting line advantage, .020 to .040, and drive the finish line to take .018 and run a 5.28.

2nd round I draw John Carr in his 5.90 Nova.  I dial a 5.26 to Johns 5.90.  John kills me on the tree with a .008 to my .041.  However, he runs way off of his dial, a 5.98 on his 5.90, so I get around him and Womp the gas a few times to run a 5.271 on my 5.26 and take .008 strip for the win.

3rd round I again draw Radar.  After our first round match up Radar bought back in.  This round is very similar to our first round as I get the advantage on the tree .018 to .042 and play with the brakes on the big end to take the strip by .021 and take the win.

4th round I am down to 6 cars.  I draw David Bailey and his 69 Camaro.  This was a good race right up until I left the starting line!!! I leave to a red light, -.012 and David takes the win.  I run it out the back door and run a 5.268 on my 5.26 dial.

Decent finish to the first race.  A good points race for me as pretty much everyone else that I am battling lost early.

During time trials for the 2nd race, I am struggling.  I simply can not find the tree.  I am a red lighting machine.  I keep putting time in my delay box and nothing seems to work.  Luckily in my last time shot I actually turn the bulb green!

In round 1 of Race 2, I draw John Carr again.  This time he got the better of me as I screw the pooch in every way possible.  It was almost like I had never drove the car before.  I let go of the trans-brake way before Johns Top Bulb came on, thus would have led me to Red Lighting.  So I decide that the only thing that I can do it Footbrake the car.  That did not work and to the buy back window I went.

I buyback in and head up for the second round and guess who I pull up beside.........RADAR!!!! For the third time I had to run Mr Kinder.  Radar is a very good racer and I knew that I would struggle to beat him for a 3rd time in one day.

Radar simply kills me on the tree with a .008 reaction to my blistering .046!!! (Way to cut the tree down Jason)  Needless to say I never catch him and he puts me on the trailer.

Overall a decent day points wise.  I did not move up any positions in the standings but I did get closer to the point lead.  I now sit 15 points, 3 rounds, out of the lead.  With 4 points races left I need to get my head on straight and get it done!!

Upcoming schedule is to head to Kanawha Valley on Friday for a little testing and then be there Saturday for another points race.

FINALLY!

I actually got to race Saturday!!!!!  Mother Nature allowed us the opportunity to get a full race in.

The weekend was actually a big weekend in my racing career.  For the first time ever, I went racing with out my dad being there.  I am 26 years old and I have been racing since I was 8.  So for the last 18 years my dad has been at the track every weekend that I have raced.

My mom and dad are actually in Myrtle Beach.  So on Friday night my good buddy Tyler Baisden met me at my Mom and Dads house and we loaded up my dragster in his trailer, along with his dragster.  The plan was to head to Kanawha Valley on Saturday for a regular points race.

Well Mother Nature did not totally agree with out initial plans.  A big rain storm blew through Northern West Virginia and at 1:00 Kanawha Valley cancelled.  So at 1:00 Tyler and I decide to head to Kil-Kare Dragway in Xenia, OH.  Now it must be noted that time trials at Kil-Kare started at 1 and we had at least an hour and a half drive ahead of us.

Our day must not have been hectic enough as the Lords of the Highway decided that we needed a flat tire on the trailer about 30 miles from the race track.  We decided to just slow down and make it to the track before changing the tire.

We arrive at KK as they are in the middle of the 2nd and final time trial.  Luckily we bust our butts and make it to the staging lanes just in time for both of us to get a time run.

My car runs as expected and so does Tyler's dragster.  In Round 1 we both decide that we wanted to Red light, just so we could give $25 more dollars to buy back!!!  Ok, so maybe that wasn't the plan, but we both did red-light.

Round 2 comes around and luckily this round I turn on a win light.  My opponent went red.  I went .008 on the tree and ran a 5.26 on my 5.28 dial.  Tyler did not have any luck as fuel systems issues continued to plague him.

In Round 3 I pull up against Dave Caplinger, who is a KK regular.  Lets just say Dave decided to destroy me.  He left with a .004 light to my .014.  He then proceeded to run dead on his dial with a 7 to have a .011 package.  I had to break out with a 5.253 on my 5.26 dial in order to cross the finish line first.  It honestly did not matter what I did at that point because Mr Caplinger was whooping my butt.  I made a good pass, but he was just better.

So that was my weekend.  This weekend coming up I will once again be traveling with Tyler as Mom and Dad will still be in Myrtle.  The plan is to head to Kanawha Valley as they have two points races scheduled.

Lets just hope that I can get back into the swing of things and hopefully find my way back to the winners  circle!!

Please follow me on twitter: @ClaytorRacing
Check out my Racingin.com Profile page: www.Racingin.com/ClaytorRacing

Nothing to Show

Sometimes you win, Sometimes you lose, and sometimes you don't even get the chance.  This weekend was one of those weekends where you don't get the chance.

Here is a short synopsis of the last two days.  3 States, 2 Racetracks, 7 hours of driving, 8 hours of sitting at a track, 0 passes.  Nothing to show for the weekend that was.

Friday we took the Roadster to Kanawha Valley to do some more testing.  We get there and unload like normal and prepare to make the few passes necessary to see if we had fixed the car.  15 minutes before the Test and Tune session was to begin, the PA announcer lets us all know that nothing is working!!! The track has no computers, no timers, no tree or anything!!!!!  They announce that they will let cars go down the track Arm Drop Style!!! Some cars went up and played, but we did not.  There was no point.  If we could not see any times how were we to know if we picked the car up???  So we sat around for a few hours to see if they could get everything fixed.  They couldn't.  So we loaded up and headed back home.

The original plan was to go home and load up my dragster and then on Saturday head back to Kanawha for a points race.  However, on the way home we get a phone saying that they had decided to cancel Saturdays program because there was no way that they could have the timing system up and running in time.  So we make the decision to race at Bluegrass Raceway Park in Owingsville, KY on Saturday.

Gates did not open up down there until 5 pm on Satuday, so we have plenty of time to get everything ready on Saturday morning.  The radar did not look great but we have never let the possibility of rain keep us away from a race track.  I do not know how many times the radar has lied to us and we were able to get the race in.

However, this day was one of those days that the radar was right.  We get to the race track at about 4:30.  A shower had blown through right as we got there.  It was just enough of a rain to get everything wet and that was about it.  The track personnel did a good job of drying the track and shortly after 6 the opened the lanes up for open time trials.  As the first pair of cars starts going down the track, it starts raining again.

It rains off and on until 8, when they decided to pull the plug.  Luckily we had no unloaded anything.  So we jumped in the truck and made the 2 hour drive back home.

I guess we had a lot of family bonding time, however I wanted racing time!!!!  

Next weekend is going to be an off weekend, unless I decide to take my street car down to Kanawha and run it in Super Sport.  (This is a strong possibility)

Look for another blog entry in a few days.  Considering my recent racing exploits have been few and far between I will post some of my thoughts on other goings on within the world of drag racing.

Rain Rain Go Away

If you are ever at a drag strip and you need a boat to get from your pit space to the staging lanes, you know you are in trouble.

That was the exact situation that we had at Kanawha Valley this past Saturday.

We we supposed to have two points races, however Mother Nature decided against it.  After the first time trial for the first race on Saturday, a pop up storm came through and washed out the day.  We got about 3 inches of rain in 30 to 45 minutes.  I thought we were going to need to build an Arc for a little while.  I don't know if put race cars in two by two would have worked, but it almost got to that point.

I guess the weekend was not a complete wash though, as on Friday night we did take out the new Roadster and did some testing.  The car ran a best of 6.58 at 102.  A little slower than what we anticipated.

This weekend may not treat us any better.  The forecast is calling for a 50% of rain on Saturday.  So hopefully everything holds off.

Plan for the weekend is to take the roadster down and test some more tonight.  Then load the Dragster and take it back to Kanawha Valley tomorrow.

That is the plan, lets just hope that Mother Nature can understand my need to race tomorrow!!!

On a side note, I know he will not read this but I just want to say Congrats to the Living Legend of Racing John Force on getting back into the winners circle at Denver this past weekend.  A win that was needed in a big way.

Also a big shout out to the Nitro Twitter Group (NTG).  Great group of people who love drag racing.